Sony shuffles top PlayStation management

Get used to some new titles for the top people responsible for the PlayStation. Sony announced today that current Sony Computer Entertainment president Ken Kutaragi will become the chairman and group CEO of the division. He will be replaced by Sony Computer Entertainment America chief Kaz Hirai, who will move to Tokyo to lead the worldwide group. SCEA vice president and co-COO Jack Tretton moves up to take Hirai's former place, becoming the first American to hold the hold the top post at the American computer entertainment division. The changes take effect tomorrow.

What to make of the reshuffling? While the new chairman title is a nominal promotion for Kutaragi, it's hard to see this as anything but a rebuke for the "father of the PlayStation" after the PS3 launch was beset by delays and missed production targets. Sounds to us like he's been told to go sit in the corner (office) and think about the "big picture." Hirai, who has been the more public face of the PlayStation in America, will now have a more active role in overseeing the PlayStation's worldwide fortunes. Get used to seeing a lot more of Tretton, a Sony veteran who has operated mostly behind-the-scenes until this point.